Why I Love Firsts
Do you remember your very first kiss?
I thought that might get your attention. I remember mine—vividly and clearly.
It was Presidents Day weekend. I was in the 8th grade, almost 14, and I was playing truth or dare with my neighborhood friends. They are all cringing right now, I’m certain. I was wearing a Yellow V-neck T-shirt, jeans, and Sperry Top-siders (an alluring outfit for a first kiss), and I remember being self-conscious that my bra was showing through the fabric of the shirt, not quite confident in my blossoming feminine curves. I was dared to kiss... we’ll call him “Boy #1.” I was dared to kiss Boy #1, and as we sat staring at each other, not sure what to do, I remember the butterflies, the tension, the nervousness, the uncertainty of what his lips would feel like. Would they be soft? Or would they feel like jelly? Would they feel stiff and awkward? This would be the kiss that all others would be compared to, so apprehension filled me as we leaned into each other and I closed my eyes… And then…
Magic!
The tentative contact, the soft connection of our lips together, the quick inhale of a breath, and then—what?! Did he just open his mouth and caress me with his tongue? My 13-year-old-self wouldn’t have used those words, but grown-up me would, and that’s what it was: a caress, a connection—love!—adrenaline, excitement, human contact—and the best human contact ever!
That was a first to mark all firsts for me.
I am a person who loves to celebrate. I love marking a point in time and creating a memory. With that being said...
Today is a very special day for me!
Today marks my very first blog! And I am nervous, and excited—apprehensive, and a little bit vulnerable. We all are when we have those moments—those “first kiss” moments. The most remarkable part about firsts is that they change us: they fundamentally change the way we act and how we see the world. After my first kiss, it was no longer an enigma. Fear and apprehension had left me, and I was different: more confident, more knowledgeable—like I had a secret.
Firsts provide opportunities for growth…
...pushing us beyond what we know, stretching our comfort zone. I’ve never been one to shy away from adventure, but I have also often acted on impulse. Adventures of my youth were marked by lack of understanding of potential consequences, and now that I’m older and feel more settled, I realize the importance of being aware and mindful. The firsts of our youth—allowing us to grow—transition to the firsts of our adulthood, where we get to feel the same exhilaration and appreciate it for what it is: something new, markings of growth.
As parents, firsts are happening every day. We get excited about our child’s first tooth, first step, and first word. (My husband and I, of course, still debate whether it was “mommy” or “daddy.” ;-) ) We get excited about the first pair of shoes, and the first day of school—almost every year..
For those of us who love to fly, we remember our first plane ride and what it felt like. We remember that, even without knowledge of how an airplane really stays in the air, we felt the excitement and adrenaline as we were taxiing down the runway at higher than normal rates of speed and launching into the air—even though we may have been completely incapable of fathoming how this was possible.
The magic of firsts is that when we finally commit ourselves to doing something, an inner strength takes over.
It has been my experience that when I step off that ledge, towards my next goal, events fall into place that help drive me towards that goal. This is my first blog; last summer I launched my first novel. Putting one’s self out in the world—open to potential ridicule, or failure—is frightening, possibly even terrifying...
But it is also exciting, and daring, and inspiring.
It’s important to pay attention to those feelings when doing something for the first time, so we don’t lose sight of that childlike innocence of celebrating, or that teenage excitement of a first kiss.
Just because we grow older and have families and children, doesn’t mean that we stop growing as people. We should never stop challenging ourselves to experience new things. I have never backed down from an opportunity to learn something new, or do something daring. (Except I won’t bungee jump or scuba dive, so there’s that! ;-D) But I truly believe it is in the new—in the “firsts”—that I am able to create my stories.
I am embarking on my next great adventure to share my stories, my talent, and my dreams through my novels. I’m looking forward to more firsts, and to finding out what else I can accomplish. Should I try cross country skiing? Yes. Should I try rafting down the Colorado River? Absolutely!
What’s next for you?
A new language?
A new adventure?
What is holding you back?
Fear of failure?
Fear of ridicule?
Don’t let that stop you.
If you don’t try, you will never experience that feeling of your first kiss: the adrenaline, the excitement, the confidence of facing something new head on.
So when I wrap up all my firsts, I am here, in this moment, with my first blog—remembering my first kiss, marking my daughter’s firsts, looking forward to more. My daughter will have her first kiss, probably someday soon, and I will celebrate that she will continue to have a lifetime of firsts, so she can continue to grow, and evolve...
And love.
I thought that might get your attention. I remember mine—vividly and clearly.
It was Presidents Day weekend. I was in the 8th grade, almost 14, and I was playing truth or dare with my neighborhood friends. They are all cringing right now, I’m certain. I was wearing a Yellow V-neck T-shirt, jeans, and Sperry Top-siders (an alluring outfit for a first kiss), and I remember being self-conscious that my bra was showing through the fabric of the shirt, not quite confident in my blossoming feminine curves. I was dared to kiss... we’ll call him “Boy #1.” I was dared to kiss Boy #1, and as we sat staring at each other, not sure what to do, I remember the butterflies, the tension, the nervousness, the uncertainty of what his lips would feel like. Would they be soft? Or would they feel like jelly? Would they feel stiff and awkward? This would be the kiss that all others would be compared to, so apprehension filled me as we leaned into each other and I closed my eyes… And then…
Magic!
The tentative contact, the soft connection of our lips together, the quick inhale of a breath, and then—what?! Did he just open his mouth and caress me with his tongue? My 13-year-old-self wouldn’t have used those words, but grown-up me would, and that’s what it was: a caress, a connection—love!—adrenaline, excitement, human contact—and the best human contact ever!
That was a first to mark all firsts for me.
I am a person who loves to celebrate. I love marking a point in time and creating a memory. With that being said...
Today is a very special day for me!
Today marks my very first blog! And I am nervous, and excited—apprehensive, and a little bit vulnerable. We all are when we have those moments—those “first kiss” moments. The most remarkable part about firsts is that they change us: they fundamentally change the way we act and how we see the world. After my first kiss, it was no longer an enigma. Fear and apprehension had left me, and I was different: more confident, more knowledgeable—like I had a secret.
Firsts provide opportunities for growth…
...pushing us beyond what we know, stretching our comfort zone. I’ve never been one to shy away from adventure, but I have also often acted on impulse. Adventures of my youth were marked by lack of understanding of potential consequences, and now that I’m older and feel more settled, I realize the importance of being aware and mindful. The firsts of our youth—allowing us to grow—transition to the firsts of our adulthood, where we get to feel the same exhilaration and appreciate it for what it is: something new, markings of growth.
As parents, firsts are happening every day. We get excited about our child’s first tooth, first step, and first word. (My husband and I, of course, still debate whether it was “mommy” or “daddy.” ;-) ) We get excited about the first pair of shoes, and the first day of school—almost every year..
For those of us who love to fly, we remember our first plane ride and what it felt like. We remember that, even without knowledge of how an airplane really stays in the air, we felt the excitement and adrenaline as we were taxiing down the runway at higher than normal rates of speed and launching into the air—even though we may have been completely incapable of fathoming how this was possible.
The magic of firsts is that when we finally commit ourselves to doing something, an inner strength takes over.
It has been my experience that when I step off that ledge, towards my next goal, events fall into place that help drive me towards that goal. This is my first blog; last summer I launched my first novel. Putting one’s self out in the world—open to potential ridicule, or failure—is frightening, possibly even terrifying...
But it is also exciting, and daring, and inspiring.
It’s important to pay attention to those feelings when doing something for the first time, so we don’t lose sight of that childlike innocence of celebrating, or that teenage excitement of a first kiss.
Just because we grow older and have families and children, doesn’t mean that we stop growing as people. We should never stop challenging ourselves to experience new things. I have never backed down from an opportunity to learn something new, or do something daring. (Except I won’t bungee jump or scuba dive, so there’s that! ;-D) But I truly believe it is in the new—in the “firsts”—that I am able to create my stories.
I am embarking on my next great adventure to share my stories, my talent, and my dreams through my novels. I’m looking forward to more firsts, and to finding out what else I can accomplish. Should I try cross country skiing? Yes. Should I try rafting down the Colorado River? Absolutely!
What’s next for you?
A new language?
A new adventure?
What is holding you back?
Fear of failure?
Fear of ridicule?
Don’t let that stop you.
If you don’t try, you will never experience that feeling of your first kiss: the adrenaline, the excitement, the confidence of facing something new head on.
So when I wrap up all my firsts, I am here, in this moment, with my first blog—remembering my first kiss, marking my daughter’s firsts, looking forward to more. My daughter will have her first kiss, probably someday soon, and I will celebrate that she will continue to have a lifetime of firsts, so she can continue to grow, and evolve...
And love.
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